Rearing chickens can be a rewarding experience when fresh, free-range eggs are on the table in the morning. However, maintaining a pest-free home for our feathered friends is an ongoing challenge for all of us. To create a healthy environment for chickens, we need to ensure that pests are kept out of the coop to provide the best space for your feathered friends to live. It can be a challenge to nurse chickens back to health after a pest invasion, so ensuring you know how to tackle pest problems before they occur can significantly help.
The shift in egg production systems from caged to free-range, barn egg, and organic is bringing into focus the natural behaviour of laying hens. It is thought that certain conditions can breed nervousness and stress, pushing hens to express the need to peck other members of the flock.
Due to the recent cases of High Path Avian Influenza (H5N1) in both captive/commercial poultry and in the wild bird population, the governments of England, Wales and Scotland have declared Great Britain an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ).
The risk of heat stress in laying hens can be reduced and managed by focusing on ventilation, house temperature, feed and water factors, and by creating shade.
